In an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process to produce electronic devices (micro devices) such as a semiconductor device that uses ultraviolet light from far ultraviolet region to vacuum ultraviolet region as an exposure beam (hereinafter called an ultraviolet light exposure apparatus), in order to increase resolution, shortening exposure wavelength, optimizing illumination conditions, applying a liquid immersion method to further increase numerical aperture of a projection optical system and the like have been performed.
In recent years, to form circuit patterns having a pitch finer than the resolution limit of the ultraviolet light exposure apparatus, an electron beam exposure apparatus has been proposed that forms spots smaller than the resolution limit of the ultraviolet light exposure apparatus with an electron beam and relatively scans this spot of the electron beam and a wafer (for example, refer to PTL 1).
However, in the conventional electron beam exposure apparatus, irradiation of the electron beam causes a charge-up in targets such as a wafer, and by the influence of the electrical charge accumulated on the surface, the electron beam could be adversely affected.